Former Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron told a radio show Wednesday that he expects his athleticism to pleasantly surprise NFL scouts at next month's NFL Scouting Combine. Based on his appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show" Thursday, however, apparently his athleticism might be all he shows at the annual event in Indianapolis.
"I don't know," he said. "I've talked to a lot of people, and there are a lot of mixed emotions about that," McCarron told the host. "It's hard to get timing with guys you've never repped with, especially for just one day of throwing. So I just have to wait and see, see how everything goes, and go from there."
After drawing criticism for passing on an invitation to the Reese's Senior Bowl, McCarron cited medical reasons for the decision, specifically a sore shoulder that became progressively more of a problem each week from Alabama's win over Tennessee on Oct. 26 until the end of the season.
But in speaking with Patrick Thursday, McCarron didn't mention his health among factors that might compel him not to throw.
If McCarron thought the blowback from skipping the Senior Bowl was rough, he can expect a lot more of the same if he is a "healthy scratch" from the throwing portion of quarterback workouts at the combine. If he were to skip throwing in Indianapolis, his throws at the Alabama pro day event in March in front of NFL scouts would likely develop into the storyline of the entire event, despite the fact that three teammates likely to be drafted ahead of him (Cyrus Kouandjio, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and C.J. Mosley) are expected to work out for scouts on the same day.
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